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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29369790">The Invisible String Tying Me to You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceprincessem/pseuds/spaceprincessem'>spaceprincessem</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Stiles, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Mates, Spark Stiles Stilinski, post 3b</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:33:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29369790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceprincessem/pseuds/spaceprincessem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Out of everyone in Beacon Hills,” a voice said from behind him, “you were the last person I expected to find here.”</p><p>And Stiles laughed, a merciless, hollow thing that rang through his chest because it was just the cherry on top of the fucking sundae. When he turned he scrubbed a hand over his face, thumb pulling against his bottom lip, teeth grinding together.</p><p>“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Stiles replied, “things typically don’t stay dead in this town for too long.”</p><p>Jennifer Blake gave him a smile that was all teeth.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Hale &amp; Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>390</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Invisible String Tying Me to You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yeah, so I had this dream where Stiles and Jennifer had this confrontation at the Nemeton and I kind of just ran with it. I think it would  have been so cool to have more Stiles and Jennifer interactions post 3a and 3b (like yeah okay i know she technically died, but this is teen wolf amirite).</p><p>Anyway, yeah idk it was stuck in my head so I had to write it. I am aware that there is kind of plot to this, but this may be as good as it gets. Also, forever shout out to reece for letting me send them snippets as I wrote this fic cause their opinion means a lot to me and idk what I would do without them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you sure it’s gone?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stiles, it’s been over a year, you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“But what if it got out? What if it found me again?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re still you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p><em><span>“Yeah, but how do you know it didn’t </span></em><b><em>find</em></b> <em><span>me again?”</span></em></p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The chill in the air clung to have fallen leaves, brown and shattered beneath a sea of faded green pine as they fanned the upturned earth. The dim light from the smallest sliver of moon bled into the scatter of stars, blinking against the growing darkness. The faint whispers of forest life died into a steely silence as the trees parted for the ancient being resting in the depths of the preserve. Here he was again. He always ended up here. Barefoot and shivering, toes curling against the soft ground. Most of the time he awoke screaming, finding he had just fallen into another nightmare, but now, when he blinked against the unforgiving darkness he knew this wasn’t a dream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stiles stared down at the Nemeton, hovering just out of its reach. He had imagined, once, that this ground had been considered holy, sacred. Now all he could see were the blood of those who didn’t have a choice, hear the screams of the damned, of the sacrificed, see the scars that would never fully heal. He could see his heart, ripped out and bleeding, it’s steady rhythm falling in time with the quiet hum that beat within the roots of the tree. He hated the Nemeton, or, at least, he wanted to hate it. He wanted to burn it until it was ash. Until it was dust. But any time he had come close to lighting a match, a pull of something deeper kept the flickering flame away. Stiles moved forward, shaking hands reaching out, palm pressing against the smooth ring of wood. He wasn’t religious by any means, but the Nemeton had a way of making him feel like he should be on his knees, like he should find a sense of meaning - </span>
  <em>
    <span>of believing</span>
  </em>
  <span> - within its core.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out of everyone in Beacon Hills,” a voice said from behind him, “you were the last person I expected to find here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Stiles laughed, a merciless, hollow thing that rang through his chest because it was just the cherry on top of the fucking sundae. When he turned he scrubbed a hand over his face, thumb pulling against his bottom lip, teeth grinding together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Stiles replied, “things typically don’t stay dead in this town for too long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jennifer Blake gave him a smile that was all teeth. Predatory. Hungry. She looked like she did a little over a year ago. Dark hair and ice blue eyes filled with a burning desire for power. For revenge. Stiles knew what lurked beneath the surface. He swallowed down the feeling of empathy as she slowly came towards him. He knew what it was like to feel like you were dying. He knew what it was like to crawl your way to salvation, to put yourself back together. He knew what it was like to want to take back everything that was stolen from you. But he didn’t want to be anything like the woman standing in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The boy who ran with wolves.” Jennifer said, stopping a few feet in front of him, “Still human, but the only human left because Allison Argent is buried six feet underground.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this where you’ve been hiding?” Stiles asked as his eyes roamed the surrounding forest. “Searching for new human sacrifices to maximize your power?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jennifer chuckled, her head falling forward as she slowly licked her lips. She moved around Stiles, fingers reaching out to trace against the tree. “The world works in mysterious ways, Stiles. The Nemeton called me to stay, to wait, and watch for someone to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stiles raised an eyebrow. “And who would that be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You, apparently.” She answered simply, her ice blue eyes fixing him with a curious expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored the skip in his heart as it beat against his chest like a war drum. “Not sure if you’ve noticed my lack of red eyes,” he held out his hands, palms facing up, “and claws.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know what you are.” Jennifer laughed as she circled back around, closer to him now. “None of you know what you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not anything.” Stiles murmured. “I’m just me. Just Stiles. Just human.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Nemeton called you for a reason,” Jennifer continued like he hadn’t spoken at all, “you and I are so much more alike than we are different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am nothing like you.” Stiles growled. He could feel a rush of heat fly up his spine, a tingle of spark sizzling in his fingertips. Something was buzzing beneath his skin, something that was very much a part of him, something that was very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The very magic that made me,” Jennifer snarled, her teeth bared, “that runs deep in my bones, created you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.” The worlds were low, like a warning, as the earth rumbled beneath him for a moment. He could feel the fire in his veins now, a wild he had only experienced in flashes suddenly itching just below the surface.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There it is.” Jennifer smirked. “I should have known, should have sensed what you were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what is it you think I am?” He asked, fighting the danger, the growing darkness wrapping around his heart like a sheet of impenetrable ice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Magic,” she answered, “in its purest form.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have ma-” Stiles bit back, but Jennifer’s eyes flashed white, her sharp laugh cutting him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haven’t you ever wondered why the Nogitsune chose you?” He could feel her danger too as she inched closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stiles thought about that every fucking day. He waged wars in his mind about why he had been the one to lose a piece of himself he would never get back. He raged battle after battle, convincing himself he wasn’t weak or worthless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’m just lucky.” He chewed out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no such thing as luck, Stiles.” Jennifer chided. “Just the path fate lays out for us to take. You were always destined to end up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt his jaw quivering in anger. This was her fucking fault after all. She had taken their parents, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his father</span>
  </em>
  <span>, for her own personal gain. She was the reason he had been connected with the Nemeton, the reason his heart had been plunged into darkness. She was the reason he had been thrust right within the Nogitsune’s reach.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what you’re thinking,” she said with a knowing smile, “but I did what I had to for the greater good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The greater good.” Stiles laughed again, that terrible, hollow feeling burning his lungs. “I didn’t realize your revenge plot was the greater good. Is that what I should do with my magic, huh?” He asked, voice rising. “Go around and murdering innocent people so that I can become unstoppable? Oh wait, I think I already did that.” He was shouting now, the sound reverberating amongst the trees, shattering the eerie silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You and I are the same, Stiles.” Jennifer stated calmly, “We are survivors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that felt like a fucking blow because it was the truth. They were bonded together by terrible circumstances that were out of their control. When he closed his eyes he could imagine the woman in front of him crawling towards the roots, desperately crying to be saved. When he opened them he could see himself sitting on top of the tree, pushing his white piece forward. The only thing Beacon Hills made you into was a goddamn survivor. He and Jennifer </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> the same, but they also </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You use people.” Stiles accused. “You used Derek.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because if there was one thing Stiles would never - </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> - fucking do it was use Derek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Derek.” Jennifer cocked her head to the side. “I tried to save Derek, tried to give him something he always wanted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure lying and manipulating him was </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>what he wanted.” Stiles snarled. “Poisoning his sister and asking him to be a sacrifice for your own personal gain.” He could feel his body trembling with that humming energy, begging to be released. “If you think you’re getting anywhere near him then you’ll have to get through me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Jennifer said quietly, her eyes widening in surprise for a moment, before it melted into a small laugh, a knowing smirk gracing her bright, red lips. “No wonder he so easily believed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stiles licked his lips, “What do you mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to lie, Stiles.” Jennifer laughed again, but it was a terrifying sound. “Mates.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The word curled in the space between them, twisting like a curse, her teeth pulled back in a snarl. Maybe she had loved Derek or maybe she just wanted to use him until there was nothing left. That’s all Derek was to most people. A means to an end. And it fucking broke Stiles’ heart to see someone who had been through so much, someone who wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>, something better to just have it all ripped away time and time again. But Stiles didn’t say a word, because she didn’t deserve to know anything about them. What they had - </span>
  <em>
    <span>what they were</span>
  </em>
  <span> - was theirs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They say,” Jennifer was moving towards him now, “there’s an invisible string, tying you to your mate. One pulls and the other must follow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you always so keen on telling stories?” Stiles asked as he swallowed hard, backing against the Nemeton until he was nearly falling against it</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to believe that we are different,” Jennifer’s voice was tight, reeking of pain and vengeance, “but in the end you’ll be crawling on your hands and knees, begging for your life when love stands in the way of true power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think you know who Derek is,” Stiles felt his voice waver with anger, “but you never really knew him at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know he had the opportunity to save your father,” Jennifer snapped, “but when it came down to true sacrifice Derek did what he always does best, let someone else take the fall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t get to blame Derek for the choices you made.” Stiles shot back hotly. “We all have blood on our hands. We’ve all made decisions and were forced to face the consequences. That’s what this fucking town does to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Oh, Stiles, we could be everything.” Jennifer’s eyes were hungry now as she appraised him. “I could make you into something more than the hell you’ve been through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thanks.” Stiles replied flatly. “Ritual sacrifice isn’t really my forte.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jennifer was giving him that all teeth smile again, her eyes flashing white. Stiles felt his blood beginning to boil, like something was fighting against the hold that was now keeping him frozen in place. His heart was threatening to burst from his chest, fear hitching in the back of his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you know,” she said sweetly, reaching for the sheath against her belt, “mates can feel each other’s pain? It’s a deep, primal connection few are privileged to have.” Stiles could see the flash of silver as she drew closer, her finger running against the edge of the blade. “It’s important for them to know if the other is in danger or hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could say a word he felt the sharp pain in his side, a small cry leaving his lips as his hands immediately came up to the knife now embedded in his stomach. Jennifer’s lips were at his ear, her hair blocking his vision. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think Derek can feel this?” Her breath was warm against his skin, a shiver of goosebumps pebbling his neck as she twisted the knife. “How about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slowly pulled the knife out, but before he could collapse she thrust it back in on his other side, and this time the only sound escaping his lips was a sharp intake of breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” He rasped, blinking away tears that were threatening to spill over his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhh.” Jennifer hummed as his blood, dark and thick, spilled over her fingers. She brought them up to his lips, nearly making him choke on the sour, metallic taste. “This is a test. Your magic will heal you, if you let it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how to control it.” He snarled as he tried to place pressure against his gaping wound with trembling hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Nemeton saved me once,” Jennifer brushed away his fallen tears with her thumb, her other hand still firmly grasping the knife in his side, “maybe if you ask nicely it will save you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you.” Stiles said as he met her ice blue eyes. “Fuck you and this entire goddamn place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t run from this, Stiles.” Jennifer chided. “Here we are all </span>
  <span>tied together by the strings of fate. This place is older than you and I, forged by something stronger than the forces holding this world together.” She dug the knife deeper, twisting painfully hard, eliciting a scream from him. “It's magic was rekindled by a boy who had loved a girl, her sacrifice the lifeblood that fed its dying roots.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when Stiles looked down at the tree he could see the shape of a girl, with milk white skin and dark hair, fanned against the bark, covered in soft, green moss. Her doe brown eyes were dead and unseeing as they looked up into the night sky. He watched as her blood ran over the wood, soaking into the ground beneath his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Paige.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“The blood that saved me, the blood that created the darkness that lives within you, the blood that made Beacon Hills come alive again. Derek Hale saved the Nemeton.” She pulled the knife out, but kept a hold of the front of his shirt. “And now it will drink from the boy who loves its savior.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jennifer pressed forward, bringing their lips together. Stiles recoiled from her touch, but she held him in place, until his blood covered her lips. When she pulled back she smiled, releasing him so that he fell to his knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It chose you for a reason, Stiles.” She said as she stepped back, returning the knife to its sheath. “Let’s see how powerful you really are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned on her heel, heading back into the darkness. Stiles could hear the blood roaring in his ears, the buzzing hum growing, growing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>growing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, until he could feel the harsh snap of electricity at his fingertips. The pain faded away as he fingers dug into the earth. The world around him quieted and Stiles suddenly felt like he wasn’t just himself. Like he wasn’t alone. He was suddenly too big for his bones, like the universe had ripped him open, filling him with pure, cosmic energy that could not be contained. He was the stars, the sky, the moon, the trees, the dirt, the tiniest fluttering wing of a bee, and the vast expanse of blackness that swallowed galaxies whole. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want power, Jennifer?” his voice was deep, low, so very much unlike his own. He could see her pause, head thrown over her shoulder to catch sight of him. And now, for the first time, she looked scared. “I’ll show you power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ground began to shake as Stiles slowly rose, hands caked in his own blood, he thrust them forward, eyes flashing into white, hot flames. The earth between them cracked up, the very roots of the Nemeton snaking out to the surface. Jennifer stumbled backwards, but the branches were quicker, wrapping around her, pulling her towards the chasm that was brimming with fire and a never ending darkness looming just beneath the surface.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stiles!” She shrieked. “STOP!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe if you ask nicely the Nemeton will save you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He mocked. His chest was heaving, his entire being felt like it was on fire, but he couldn’t stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The roots wrapped around Jennifer, creating a crooked and terrifying tree, closing in around her, like it was doomed to swallow her. Lightning crashed around them, thunder snapping loud and dangerously close as the wind whipped through the pines, bending them like blades of grass. His fingers curled in, the muscles in his hands straining as he directed his power, his magic, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his spark</span>
  </em>
  <span> into doing the only thing that was on his mind. Killing Jennifer.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stiles</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the voice in his head sounded so painfully familiar, </span>
  <em>
    <span>it’s killing you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And suddenly the bloodlust, the desire to destroy seeped from his veins, the roar quieting to that gentle hum beneath his skin again. Jennifer was still wrapped in the tree, but the look she gave him shook Stiles to his very core.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what you are,” she said quietly, “and Void should have been afraid of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched her close her eyes, before she disappeared, the roots falling limp and lifeless to the ground. Stiles felt something rise in the back of his throat, a fresh pool of blood spilling out of his mouth. He sunk to the ground, crawling towards the Nemeton.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Derek</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He heard himself say as the pain became overwhelming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He collapsed against the top of the Nemeton, pressing his cheek against the cool wood. He was always going to end up here. Bleeding out on some godforsaken tree. He didn’t feel very powerful anymore. He was tired. So fucking tired. Despite whatever magic lived in his bones or itched beneath his skin he was still human. He didn’t know how to heal. He just knew how to die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare give up,” A voice no longer in his head, but ringing in his ears said, “not you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stiles slowly reached out his hand, his blood stained fingers lacing with soft, warm ones. “You found me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t I always?” Derek tried to smile, but there was pain laced in his features as he cradled Stiles’ face with his other hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The invisible string,” Stiles sighed, “tying me to you.”   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when Derek’s lips brushed against his forehead Stiles finally felt the tingling sting of skin starting to heal over. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Heh. Okay, thank you for reading this! Let me know your thoughts!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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